One of the best parts about working at a college is that we have a Christmas shutdown, which gives me some extra time off at the end of the year, which usually starts the day before Christmas Eve. But this year, with Christmas taking place in an awkward spot, the shutdown began on the 20th, which landed me an extra full day off on Monday. I decided to head into Toronto for photography, filming, and meet up with my good friend Bill! I also took the chance to film a POV-style On-the-Road video that will hit the YouTube channel in February. I wanted to keep things simple and went with my Nikon F5 and the 14-24mm lens and rolls of Kodak Tri-X 400, which I rated at ASA-320 and developed in Zone Imaging 510-Pyro. I also packed my 35mm and 105mm lenses as alternates if I wanted something tighter.
With winter weather finally heading our way, I decided to grab an early morning train out of Milton Station. I was heading into and out of the city while those trains ran. Given it was a Monday during the later parts of the year, the passenger numbers were light, and I could quickly get a seat without having anyone near me. Union Station was still pretty busy by the time I arrived; some people were sleeping in the station, probably getting in early or having stayed there overnight to catch a VIA train. From Union, I headed east along Front Street. If you want some excellent examples of Second Empire commercial blocks, I highly recommend it. Rather than going further north, it was a quick duck up a side street past King to Adelaide for more early buildings. Some buildings here pre-date Toronto’s incorporation as a city, including the Bank of Upper Canada Building and Toronto’s first post office (the 4th for the Town of York). Then it was down Parliament to the Distillery District, with the Winter Village still in full swing but not open. I didn’t stay there too long; I find the Distillery District better when the village isn’t running. Getting back in a northerly direction along Trinity, I walked back up to King, then dipped a bit before continuing north to Queen. After backtracking west through Moss Park, it was a quick stop at Downtown Camera for supplies and then up Bond Street. I’ve always wanted to check out the interior of St. Michael’s Cathedral, and sure enough, the doors were open, so I quietly went in and captured an interior shot of the sanctuary before continuing on and catching a subway at Dundas Station.
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
While it was only a couple of stops before I got off at the Bloor-Yonge Station, I wanted to speed up the process as I did have a meetup time in mid-town. I finally had a chance to check out the interior of the Toronto Reference Library. And it was worth it, but a warning: if you want to do any filming or photography inside, you need a photo pass. Thankfully, you can walk up to the main desk and ask for the form, fill it out, and they’ll give you the pass right there! After shooting several frames (making it worth the while), I went into Yorkville for a quick jog before continuing north on Yonge Street. I don’t often photograph this part of the city, so it was a nice change of scenery. My next major stop was the LCBO inside the old North Toronto Canadian Pacific Station. An interesting thing is that the building has spent more time as a liquor store than it was a train station. I even managed to sneak an interior photo when a security guard’s back was turned. Then it was back onto the Subway at the Summerhill Station. I had planned to get off the subway at Davisville, but I was running out of frames and time on the second roll of film, so I rode to Eglington Station instead. I was a couple of blocks before I reached the old Postal Station K, which is unique in that it is one of the few buildings in Canada with King Edward VIII’s cypher. Then, another dip along a side street before getting to The Granite Brewery for a couple of beers and a lunch meeting with Bill.
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Having killed off more of the battery on my phone than I expected, we first went to Bill’s new place to let it charge up. We talked about the future of CCR, and some plans for some photo walks through 2025. After a bit, we headed out so that Bill could show off his new neighbourhood. I also decided to switch to the 35mm lens to make things lighter and easier to handle. The snow had stopped at this point, but the light was starting to fade. There’s plenty of excellent residential architecture throughout the area and a variety from post-war homes to modern builds. After letting Bill return home, I walked from Younge-Eglington to Davisville Station.
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF-S Nikkor 14-24mm 1:2.8G – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
The subway only got busier the further south I travelled. Starting to feel claustrophobic around Queen Station, I decided to hop off the train and walk the rest of the way. Being only a couple of days past the solstice, I was not expecting it to be that dark, but having a few frames left, I made the point to get at least a few more shots in to round out the roll before getting onto the train at Union Station. Now, it was getting busy both on the streets and in the station. I wanted to try and get something for dinner, but I had only enough time to grab something fast before dashing off to catch the next train. Which ended up being delayed due to switch issues near Streetsville. But at least I didn’t have that far of a drive home.
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
Nikon F5 – AF Nikkor 35mm 1:2D – Kodak Tri-X 400 @ ASA-320 – Zone Imaging 510-Pyro (1+100) 8:00 @ 20C
The trip’s highlights include seeing inside a few spaces I’ve been itching to photograph, including St. Michael’s, the Toronto Reference Library, and the Old North Toronto Station (LCBO). At the end of the day, I ended with three rolls of Tri-X run through the F5, and I was pretty happy with the results, having pulled them out of the tank. I first discovered this combination, having shot the Tri-X slightly over (ASA-320 instead of ASA-400), then developed normally produces clean images, especially in the low-contrast light of the day. Plus, creating all three rolls at once made it friendly and straightforward. However, with the sudden shift in the weather, I ended up with three heavily cupped rolls, and the first one I scanned was far too early, so the scans didn’t yield many keepers. Thankfully, I put some time and tight back rolling on the other two rolls to help mitigate the cupping. And having that many images it’s hard to narrow the choices down to a single post, but you can go and check out the entire selection on Flickr!